The French coastal town of Saint-Tropez prepares for a subdued farewell to cinema icon Brigitte Bardot on Wednesday, with funeral arrangements reflecting both her passionate animal advocacy and controversial political leanings. The ceremony at Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church will proceed without presidential attendance but with confirmed participation from far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Organizers from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation have emphasized the deliberately modest nature of the proceedings, describing the event as intentionally “no frills” in accordance with the late actress’s wishes. Foundation spokesman Bruno Jacquelin noted the ceremony would feature “some surprises” while remaining fundamentally simple, mirroring Bardot’s authentic character.
The cinematic revolutionary who passed away aged 91 on December 28th will be memorialized through public screens broadcasting the funeral to admirers braving winter temperatures. Bardot’s death concludes a remarkable transformation from international sex symbol to reclusive activist, having abandoned her film career in the early 1970s to dedicate herself entirely to animal rights.
The ceremony occurs against a complex backdrop of polarized public perception. While universally acknowledged as a cinematic pioneer who embodied 1960s sexual liberation through films like “And God Created Woman,” Bardot’s later years were marred by multiple convictions for hate speech targeting Muslim communities. This ideological positioning has resulted in notably restrained responses from left-wing figures, with Green Party lawmaker Sandrine Rousseau questioning the ethical consistency of championing animal welfare while expressing anti-immigrant sentiments.
Family dynamics add further nuance to the proceedings. Bardot’s only child, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier—with whom she reconciled in her final years after decades of estrangement—remains unconfirmed as an attendee. The actress had previously characterized pregnancy as carrying a “tumour” and motherhood as “misery” in her memoirs. Meanwhile, her 87-year-old sister Mijanou, residing in Los Angeles, has expressed emotional tribute through social media, hoping Bardot finds comfort in reunion with departed pets in the afterlife.
The burial ultimately occurs at the seaside cemetery despite Bardot’s 2018 expressed wish for interment in her home garden alongside beloved animals, a preference she stated to avoid a “crowd of idiots” disturbing her family’s existing graves.